Stock-car



(No Model.)

A. W'. CLIFFORD.

8 STOCK GAR No. 284,819.

Patented Septl 11mm www? W Il Il IlV Il II Il Il H Il l UNITE vTAFFS FFICEQ' STOCK-CAR. y

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 284,819, dated September 11, 1,883.

Application tiled April 30, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;-

Be it `known that I, A. XV. CLIFFORD, of Johnstown, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stock-Cars5 and I do herebyl declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specication.

My invention relates to an improvement in stock-cars; and it consists, first, in a floor which is made in one, two, or more sections, and placed upon rollers, so as to have an endwise movement in the direction of the length of the car, in combination with suitable springs, which are placed at each end of the sections of the Hoor; second, in partition-doors which are placed, preferably, 'in the center of the car, and which are made hollow, so as to be filled with water, to be used for the stock during transportation, third, in a water-trough which is adapted t be raised upward and made to fit over the lower end of the feed-rack, so that it can be raised up out of the way when no longer needed for use', fourth, in a feed-rack which can be raised upward against the roof of the car when not needed, and which, when down in position, is supported in place by means of suitable cleats, which are secured to the sides of the car, and the pivotal bolts upon which the rack turns; iifth, in the arrangement and combination of parts, which will be more fully described hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to make the floor of a stock-car in sections, and make the sections movable endwise, so as to ease shocks on the sudden stoppages of the car, to allow of the ready and quick loading and unloading of the car, and to provide the oar with suitable appliances which can be used while the stock are undergoing transportation, and then folded out of the way on the return trip, so as to allow the cars to be used for other purposes. Figure l is a side elevation of my invention, partly in section. Figs. 2 and 3aredetail views of the fioor.- Figs. 4rl and 5 are detail views of the racks and water-troughs. Fig. 6 is a view of the hollow doors. l

A represents the stock-car, of any desired length and width that may be preferred, and y which will be preferably provided with four doors y,upon each side, so as to allow of the ready loading and unloading of the car at any time and for any purpose. Vhere all or a portion of the stock have to be unloaded at any time during the journey, or when the end of the journey is reached, or in case of a collision, itcan be quickly or readily done.'

At or near the center of the car are ytwo doors C, which are made to divide the car into -two sections, and which doors are made hollow and provided with suitable Ineans for filling them with water, and suitable means for conducting the water from the doors to the watering-troughs, so that the animals can be watered during transportation without the necessity of unloading the animals for this purpose alone. Wherethe cars are closed, these doors may be filled with ice, or any cooling mixture, and thus keep the air in the car suciently cool to preserve perishable articles during transportation. These doors especially it the cars for the transportation of fruit and articles of a similar nature. These hollow doors divide the car int o two sections, and the Vhay-rack and the water-trough divide cach, one of the two sections into two other sections, so that `while the car is used in the transportation of cattle each one is divided into four sections,

and each section has two doors leading into it,

as shown in Fig. I.

The hay-rack D is pivoted at its upper end upon short pivotal bolts, which pass through the side of the car, and is adapted to be raised upward at its lower end against the top of the car, so as to. be out of the way when not in use. Vhile the car is engaged in the transportation of cattle, this rack will be dropped downward,A but when the car is being returned empty' it will be raised upward against the roof of the car, so as to leave the car free for the transportation of mechandise of any kind. Upon each end of the racks will be j our-naled one, two, or more rollers, E, and when the rack is dropped down into position for the cattle'to eat, these rollers rest upon the cleats F, having curved top edges, as shown. In order to lock lthe rack rigidly in place, a pin or pins are passed down through these cleats, so as to prevent the rack from swingingv back and forth with the I'notion of the car.

The water-trough H is shaped so as to fit IOC over the lower end of the rack, and to be car ried up ag'ainst the under side of the top of the car with the rack. In order to make this trough vertically adjustable, so that it can be lowered upon the floor for the cattle to drink from, and then raised against the roof, each trough has a rope, I, secured to it at any suitable point, and this rope passes up over suitable pulleys, J, journaled in the top of the car, back or forward to the end of the' car, where it can-be operated by the brakeman or the person in charge oi the stock. Whenever it is desired to water the animals, it will only be necessary to slacken the rope and lower the trough down to the floor, and then conduct the water from the hollouT doors through suitable hose to the troughs.

Instead ofthe perforated floor L, upon which the animals stand, being made solid as a part of the car, in the usual manner, it is here made in two or more sections, and each section is supported upon friction-rollers N. These sections of the iioor'are made just wide enough to allow friction-rollers O to be journaled in their sides or edges, and these rollers O bear against the sides of the car, so as to always enable it to move evenly. Upon the under side of each section ofthe floor will be placed suitable iron bands or bolts, which will bear upon the tops of the rollers placed in the bottom of the car for the support of the sections of the iloor, and these prevent the iioor from being worn or injured. At each end of each section of the floor will be placed a suitable number of springs, l?, of any kind, andwhich springs receive the endwise movement of the sections of the floor in case of sudden stoppages, collisions, or other accidents to railroad-cars. The endwise movement of the sections of the iioor compress the springs to a greater or less extent, and thus ease the shock upon the animals standing upon the sections of the iioor, and prevent them from being inj ured, as would otherwise be the case. In order to prevent the feet of the animals from beiig caught between the ends of the sections of the floor and thetimbers of the cars, a suitable projecting shield, Q, is made to extend over ed to be opened, so as to leave all of the car clear, and which are filled with water, so as to serve as a reservoir from which to water the animals, substantially as shown.

2. In a stock-car, the hay-rack, which eX- tends from one side of the canto the other,

and which is pivoted at its upper ends directly to the sides of the car, and which is adapted to be raised up out of the way, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a stock-car, of a hay-rack which extends entirely across the car, and which is pivoted at its upper ends directly upon the sides of the car, with the supports F and suitable friction-wheels, substantially as set forth.

4. In a stock-car, a iioor which is made in two or more sections, each section having an endwise movement, substantially as specified.

5.V In a stock-car, a Hoor divided into two or more sections, in combination with suitable friction-rollers and springs placed at the end of each section of the floor, substantially as shown and described.

6. The combination, in a stockcar, of a hay-rack which is pivoted at its upper ends, a trough which is adapted to be raised and lowered in relation to the rack, and suitable cords and pulleys, the parts being arranged to operate substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED IV. CLIFFORD.

Vitnesses D. J. JoNns, Gno. MARsDEN. 

